Congress passed this citizenship act in 1855. Through this act, a child born outside of the United States is a U.S. citizen if the child’s father is a U.S. citizen. It also provides that alien immigrant women can gain citizenship through marriage to an American citizen, or the naturalization of their alien husband.
It is Public Law 22, “An Act to secure the right of citizenship to citizens of the United States born out of the limits therein.”
